H1N1 influenza guidelines for visitors to the Dartmouth College campus

Dear Visitor to Dartmouth:

We welcome you to our home and hope your visit here is a very enjoyable one.

Like everyone else in the world, we are concerned about the current swine flu outbreak and want to take measures to minimize chances of the introduction and spread of this viral illness into our community, and the chances of you contracting it while you’re here.

We are doing everything in our power to achieve that goal, and ask that you do everything in your power to help us.

Here’s specifically what we ask that you do:

1. Before coming to campus, if you or someone in your group has a fever and flu-like symptoms, we strongly suggest they do not travel to campus.
2. After arrival on campus, we urge that everyone practice good personal hygiene by washing their hands frequently, especially after coughing. If you or anyone in your group develops a fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, and has flu-like symptoms, avoid coming into close contact with others. Anyone who is coughing regularly should wear a mask. Please avoid any unnecessary, non-medical visits to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center campus, to minimize the chance of introducing and spreading viral infections to the medical center environment, which obviously houses a more vulnerable population.

If you have any specific medical questions during your stay in Hanover, please call me by calling 603-650-5000 and having me paged through the hospital operator.

Again, welcome to Dartmouth, and we wish you a pleasant and healthy stay here.

Jack Turco, MD
Director of Health Services